Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in patients with gastritis and peptic ulcer in Western Nigeria

Stomach mucosal biopsy samples were taken from 82 patients who underwent gastroscopy in five hospitals in South Western Nigeria in the course of investigations for dyspepsia, between July 1997 and April 1998. The work was undertaken using only the culture technique, and 22 samples (27%) were positive for Helicobacter pylori. Of these, 32% were positive from gastritis patients, 21% from ulcer patients, while 25% were from patients with no detectable abnormality. The majority of the cases studied were males, while the highest age range was between the ages of 30 and 39 years for both sexes. The mean age was 38 years. This study shows that H. pylori is an important associated factor in gastritis in Nigeria.